Moroccan Lamb Tagine

It gets cold and stew is in the air.  Simple recipe from Ina Garten.  Really good on a cold night.

• 6 lamb shanks
• 2 large chopped yellow onions
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1½ teaspoons chili powder
• 1½ teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom ( I used a cardamom pod because I was missing ground cardamom)
• 1 (4-inch) cinnamon stick
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 4 (½-inch-thick) slices of lime
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled and 1-inch-diced
• 1 pound butternut squash, peeled and 1-inch-diced
• ½ pound sweet potatoes, unpeeled and 1-inch-diced

Preheat oven to 300.

Coat the dutch oven (Le Crueset is the best) with olive oil.  Season the lamb shanks and brown them in the pot.  Set aside.  Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes.  Add the ginger and stir for another minute or so.  Add in the spices and cinnamon stick and cook another minute.  Add in the tomatoes, chicken stock, lime, brown sugar and 1 tbsp salt and 1 tbsp pepper, mix.  Add in the potatoes, squash and sweet potatoes.  Bring to a boil.  Add in the lamb shanks, put on the lid and put in the oven for 3 hours.

Serve over couscous.  Delicious!